Legislation Passed

I had the honor of being the primary sponsor of each of the following bills passed in 2015-2016 (see list below). I was also honored to be a co-sponsor of 64 other bills that were passed.

HB 0216 — Administrative Procedure (UAPA): requires, rather than authorizes, the government operations committees to review every rule promulgated pursuant to the UAPA; makes other various changes to the rulemaking process under the Act.

HB 0776 — Credit Freeze: authorizes certain guardians to place a security freeze on the consumer report of a person under 16 years of age or an incapacitated person; establishes requirements for such a freeze and remedies for violations.

HB 0918 — Scenic Highway: revises the segment of State Route 169 (Middlebrook Pike) in Knox County that is a scenic highway.

HB 0987 — Cosmetology: changes the applicable time period for the felony conviction from within five years to within three years prior to the board’s decision, and changes the applicable time period for the misdemeanor conviction from within two years to within one year prior to the board’s decision. Designed to discourage recidivism and to encourage employment.

HB 1031 — Teachers’ Notice: changes, from “prior to June 15” to “within five business days following the last instructional day for the school year” the time within which notices of dismissal of a teacher must be provided.

HB 1033 — Notaries: clarifies record-keeping requirements for notaries who charge a fee and those who do not charge a fee, including those who are employees of financial institutions. Eliminates the record-keeping requirement when no money is paid for the notary service.

HB 1336 — Barbers: changes the applicable time period for the felony conviction from within five years to within three years prior to the board’s decision, and changes the applicable time period for the misdemeanor conviction from within two years to within one year prior to the board’s decision. Designed to discourage recidivism and encourage employment.

HB 1774 — Damage Caps: limits to $25,000 the amount of compensatory damages awarded to each complaining party for losses in certain retaliatory discharge actions against employers having less than eight employees at the time the cause of action arose.

HB 2064 — TODS: grants the Department of Transportation exclusive jurisdiction over the design, erection, installation, and maintenance of tourist-oriented directional signs (“TODS signs”), including jurisdiction over TODS signs on state highways in incorporated municipalities; requires removal of signs purporting to be TODS signs that were, or are, installed without lawful authorization; requires department to establish TODS permit system and inventory.

HB 2068 — UAPA: clarifies that agency powers under the Act are to be narrowly construed; increases burden of agencies by requiring them to prove, by clear and convincing evidence, that administrative rules conform to certain specific criteria. Intended to put the brakes on excessive, harmful agency rulemaking. HB 2068 was named “Legislation of the Year” by the Family Action Council.

HB 2201 — Right to Earn: enacts the “Right to Earn a Living Act.” Requires each licensing agency, by December 31, 2016, to submit a copy of all existing or pending entry regulations pertaining to the licensing authority and an aggregate list of such entry regulations to the chairs of the Government Operations Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives.

HB 2502 — Child Custody Relocation: clarifies that a parent who spends intervals of time with a child and who wishes to relocate is required to provide notice to the other parent after custody or co-parenting has been established by the entry of a permanent parenting plan or final court order. Clarifies that the child custody relocation factors apply only where a final order already exists.